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Do you enjoy firing up your PS4, playing a few online matches and maybe checking out what free games and discounts are up for grabs? Well, we hope you really enjoy doing all that, because you're about to pay that bit more for the privilege. Sony has today been sending out emails to PlayStation Plus subscribers in Europe, informing them that the cost of their subscription is going up on August 31st. In the UK, the monthly price is increasing from £6 to £7, the quarterly cost from £15 to £20, and an annual pass is rising from £40 to £50.

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avgamingplaystationplaystationplusps4sonyFri, 28 Jul 2017 07:01:00 -040021|23053737https://www.engadget.com/2016/09/15/resident-evil-7-demo/https://www.engadget.com/2016/09/15/resident-evil-7-demo/https://www.engadget.com/2016/09/15/resident-evil-7-demo/#comments
If the first demo for Resident Evil 7: Biohazard didn't leave you with a headache or worse (yeah, even in 2D), it might've left you scratching your noggin. Well, the "Beginning Hour" demo is getting an update, according to a post on the PlayStation Blog. The Twilight update "expands on what you can do and explore" in the run-down shack. Over on Capcom Unity the publisher-developer teases that even if you've explored every corner of the house that "we've got something special in store for you." So maybe, just maybe, you'll find a use for that severed finger. Hopefully the update means the flashlight's incessant bobbing and swaying been fixed, too.

PlayStation Plus memberships will cost more starting on September 22nd. On that date, a one-year membership in the US will rise from $50 to $60, while three-month memberships will rise from $18 to $25. The price of a monthly plan will remain the same in the US ($10). Existing members will not have to pay the increased amount until their plans renew on or after September 22nd.

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avgamingpersonal computingpersonalcomputingplaystationplaystationpluspricepricehikeps4sonyMon, 22 Aug 2016 12:44:00 -040021|21456547https://www.engadget.com/2016/06/02/rocket-league-success/https://www.engadget.com/2016/06/02/rocket-league-success/https://www.engadget.com/2016/06/02/rocket-league-success/#comments
Not many people would have predicted the success of Psyonix's Rocket Leaguewhen it first appeared as a free title on PlayStation Plus. But here we are, 11 months later, watching the game continue to go from strength to strength. In an interview with Forbes, the game studio revealed that the vehicular smash-em-up football game has now sold 5 million copies. Add to that a further 5 million DLC purchases across PC, Xbox One and Playstation and the company has earned more than $110 million -- not bad for a game that cost just $2 million to build.

Sony's first PlayStation TV show landed with a bit of a thud. Based on the comic book series by Brian Michael Bendis, Powersstruggled to stand out against its superhero peers, especially those on rival streaming networks. The show does have a following, however, which was enough for Sony to commission a second season last May. Almost a year later, the company has announced that the first three episodes will debut in the US and Canada on May 31st, with free access for PlayStation Plus subscribers.

A new trailer shows the mess that homicide detectives Christian Walker (Sharlto Copley) and Deena Pilgrim (Susan Heyward) will be trying to untangle this time around. The world's most famous superhero, Retro Girl, is murdered and the pair are told to investigate doing "whatever you need to do." Mayhem ensues, with superpowers and explosions galore.

Around the launch of the PS4 and Xbox One, both Microsoft and Sony had grand ambitions for console-branded TV shows. Microsoft eventually abandoned its plans, however, after unbundling the Kinect and refocusing on video games. The TV-specific Xbox Entertainment Studios was closed, although a few shows did sneak through, such as the Atari: Game Over documentary and Halo: Nightfall. Sony was more cautious, green-lighting Powers -- a safe bet, given the interest in superhero adaptations at the moment -- and waiting for the reaction from PlayStation fans. Season two is probably its last chance to prove the concept is worth persevering with.

If you prefer to play video games solo, there's a chance you haven't bought a PlayStation Plus subscription for your PS4. Sony wants that monthly fee though, so to tempt you it's organised another one of its "free multiplayer weekend" promotions in the US. As the name implies, you'll be able to connect your system and play any game in your library online, all without paying an extra dime. Star Wars Battlefront, Destiny, FIFA 16 -- heck, maybe even Street Fighter V, if Capcom can get its act together.

Sony is lifting its PlayStation Plus requirement for online multiplayer access on PlayStation 4 this weekend. This means online multiplayer will be free for all PS4 players from Friday, December 11th at 12:01AM PT to Sunday, December 13th at 11:59PM PT. Playing online usually requires a PlayStation Plus subscription, which costs $10 monthly, $18 for a three-month bundle or $50 for an entire year. A Plus membership also guarantees at least two free games and a lineup of discounts every month.

Some PlayStation Plus subscriptions are getting a little more expensive in the UK. From September 1st, Sony's 30-day option will cost £5.99 instead of £5.49, and the 12 week plan is rising to £14.99, up from £11.99. The annual subscription is staying locked at £39.99, however, so if you haven't taken the plunge just yet -- now might be a good time to reconsider. Sony says the changes are "in line with market conditions" and all part of its push to deliver "an unparalleled experience, featuring the best quality games and features." If you need a reminder, PS Plus nets you some "free" games on PS4, PS3 and PS Vita every month, and is also required to play PS4 games online. Maybe, just maybe this extra cash can be used to stop PSN from going down so often too? We're crossing our fingers.

Sure, PlayStation Plus subscribers are used to getting "free" games every month, but they haven't had any say about what the gratis titles would be. Until now. With Vote to Play, you'll have a chance to make your voice heard. PlayStation VP of platforms marketing John Koller writes on the PlayStation Blogthat the game with the most votes will automatically be added to the upcoming month's offerings, and that in the first round of voting the runner-up will be available at a discount. Pretty cool, huh? Exactly how the voting process will work (if there will be videos or whatnot to help make informed choices) isn't clear just yet, but Koller writes that more info is coming soon enough. The real question though is if you would've voted for Rocket League, the dark horse from last month's promo that's absolutely dominating the gaming conversation right now.

Remember how Sony promised you a free version of Driveclub with your PlayStation Plus subscription about, oh, two years ago? You'll finally get to claim it this week. The Plus Edition of Evolution Studios' PS4 racing game is launching on June 25th, giving you a chance to see what all the hype was about. Sony is taking care to avoid the server meltdowns that plagued the retail game's debut, too. On day one, you'll only have guaranteed access to offline play -- internet races will gradually roll out to make sure that this socially-oriented title works as advertised.

Sony has long been willing to discount certain PlayStation games if you're a Plus subscriber, but it hasn't offered the certainty of Xbox Live's Deals With Gold. You don't know that you're going to get a steady stream of bargains, especially not for newer titles. That doubt should disappear after today, though. Sony has launched PlayStation Plus Specials, a sale program that gives you a break on games and add-ons that are still relatively fresh. How fresh? To start, you're getting 20 percent off Bloodborne in the US -- a sweet deal for a big PS4 hack-and-slash that's only a couple of months old. It's too soon to tell whether these offers will be as tempting down the line, but it's also hard to object to getting more savings for your money.

Sony has announced it is bringing Powers back for a second season. And, all things considered, it's easy to see why. As an entertainment platform, the future of PlayStation's original programming depends heavily on the success of Powers, a series based on the comic book story from Brian Michael Bendis. Thankfully for Sony, after premiering back in March, Powers quickly became a favorite for viewers and rose to the top of the charts on PlayStation Network. The company says season two is scheduled to debut in the US next year, although it didn't provide a specific time frame. In a statement, President of Programming and Development at Sony Pictures Television, Jamie Erlicht, said the new chapter will "broaden the Powers universe and bring even more of the fan-favorite characters and storylines to life."

Powers is the first series to come from Sony PlayStation's original programming push, a partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment, and it's not rated "E" for everyone. With comic books as its source material, the racy superhero cop drama from creator Brian Michael Bendis is a custom fit for the PlayStation user base, especially users that pony up $50/year for Sony's PlayStation Plus subscription service. And it's that particular demographic the PlayStation group is keen to pursue with any future projects. "We are a gaming company, so we want to do what's best for gaming and for our gamers," says PlayStation VP of Platform Marketing John Koller. "We're going to make a decision here after we see how Powers does. But whatever we do, it'll be very centered on the gamer and the gaming audience and what caters best to them."

When Powers failed to materialize on Sony's PlayStation Network back in December, you were probably distracted by the company's other, more high-profile catastrophes. Now that some of the dust has settled, however, series creator Brian Michael Bendis has taken to the PlayStation Blog to tell the world that the supernatural cop show will debut on March 10th. The first three episodes will all land on that day, with the remaining seven episodes that comprise the first season launching on subsequent Tuesdays.

It won't surprise you to hear that your PlayStation Plus subscription provides a healthy amount of gaming goodness for $50 per year, but have you ever crunched the numbers to see just how much you're getting? Push Square has. According to its calculations, Sony offered Plus subscribers a whopping $1,349 (£960 in the UK) in PS3, PS4 and PS Vita software during 2014. If you were diligent enough to add every title to your library, you got quite a bargain -- especially since many of the titles (such as Don't Starve and Dust: An Elysian Tail) would easily be worthwhile as stand-alone purchases.

When next Tuesday's 2.0 update hits for the PlayStation 4, Sony will finally turn one of the most ambitious promises it made when the console was first announced a reality. We're talking about Share Play, of course. We know: the ability to virtually hand a controller off to a pal via the internet and have them work through a game's tricky section for you sounds kinda like magic -- the type that only Disney is capable of. But, in theory it sounds pretty simple, and the catch-up king has recently released a video that walks through the process step by step. From the looks of it, the new feature is added as an option from the DualShock 4's Share button. Naturally. How well it all works in the wild, however, remains to be seen.

Now that Microsoft is offering free games each month to Xbox One owners with Live Gold subscriptions, Sony is in a tough spot -- how does it get you to buy a console and sign up for PlayStation Plus? By giving you more games, that's what. As of June, Plus members get two games per month for every PlayStation platform they use, whether it's a PS3, PS4 or Vita. Availability will also be more consistent as of July. From then on, you'll see the new Plus titles arrive (and old titles phase out) on the first Tuesday of a given month.

Sony has a released a bunch of statistics covering the first four months of life of its new baby. Beyond regular sales figures (six million units so far, and nearly 14 million game sales), some of the more interesting numbers relate to how PlayStation gamers are engaging with the console's online features. We're told that half of all PS4 owners have been persuaded to cough up for a PS Plus subscription, which grants access to online multiplayer gaming as well as a number of discounted and free titles. Meanwhile, the 'Share' button on the DualShock 4 controller has apparently been used 100 million times to share recorded game highlights with the PS4 community, and 3.6 million gameplay broadcasts have been streamed over Twitch and Ustream -- a feature that still hasn't been enabled on the Xbox One. And who knows? The PS4's Twitch numbers might have been even higher if people hadn't gotten themselves banned for playing real-live strip poker.

Microsoft may have dropped a wholelot of news on us today, but that doesn't mean Sony hasn't got a few surprises up its sleeve. With just a week until the PlayStation 4 hits stores in North America, the company has revealed a trio of surprises for PlayStation 4 buyers when they receive their units on launch day. As part of a special promotion, Sony will include $10 credit for its PlayStation Store, which can be used to against games, music or movies, a free 30-day membership to PlayStation Plus and a 30-day trial for its Music Unlimited streaming service. Sony appears to be onboarding gamers in the hope they'll enjoy its multiplayer gaming and media services enough to stump up the cash for a full subscription. The company says the offer is available for a limited period, and that its music offer will only apply to new users.

Need for more PS4 info after news about the companion app and day one 1.50 firmware update popped up earlier today? SCE President Shuhei Yoshida just tweeted a link to the system's official FAQ, which answers questions users might have about game sharing and how friends lists work across the new system and older PS3s. As Sony was kind enough to point out during E3, game sharing on discs is simple and familiar. When it comes to downloaded games it's all about which system is designated as your "primary" PS4, which is where content you purchase through the app will automatically download, and is the one that hooks up to your PS Vita. Only one system can be your primary system at a time, and as long as your games are on that console, any user can play them or enjoy your PlayStation Plus features. It's similar to the current experience on Xbox 360, with an added bonus because your account can be in use on two systems at the same time.

Your PlayStation Network account will still work on other PS4s, but if you download a game there, only your account can play it. Switching to a different console as your primary is also possible, as long as you deactivate the current primary first. The other issue is how your new friends list will work across devices. On the PS4 you can have up to 2,000 friends, but the PS3 will only display 100 of them. If you're mobile, your Vita or PlayStation app should be able to display all 2,000. If there are any questions left, hit the FAQ and take a look.

Sony has just announced that Driveclub, one of its original launch titles for the PlayStation 4, is running behind schedule and will miss the big day. The magnitude of this loss will obviously depend on how much your personal PS4 unboxing fantasy involved loading up a team-based, arcade-style driving sim -- and honestly, ours didn't. Nevertheless, the postponement comes in the same week that Watch Dogs was also pushed back to spring 2014 -- though that delay affects all consoles, not just Sony's. There's another issue, too: Driveclub was one of just two launch games that were meant to be offered free to PS Plus subscribers, as an extra inducement to spend $50 on a year's access. By way of a replacement, Sony will offer the dark platform-puzzler Contrast as part of its PS4 instant game collection, and you'll find a trailer for that title lurking in the shadows below.

Sony's next-generation console may be nearing its launch date in some parts of the world, but the Japanese company isn't forgetting about its aging PlayStation 3 just yet. With an update that's due to roll out in the next few hours, the PS3 will no longer limit automatic firmware downloads to PlayStation Plus subscribers, a definite plus for non-paid PlayStation Network users. What's more, version 4.50 also brings additional privacy settings to trophies and the ability to transfer data from the PS3 to PS Vita via a WiFi connection. It may not be the beefiest of updates, but sometimes keeping things short and sweet is just what the doctor ordered.

SCE Worldwide Studios head and extremely active Twitter user Shuhei Yoshida answered as much when asked by fans directly if Sony's upcoming next-gen game console would require a PS Plus membership for recording and streaming gameplay, as well as watching streaming content (such as Hulu or Netflix). He flatly stated "no" when asked about the Plus requirement, and elaborated that all users will have that functionality. That's a reflection of the current state of PlayStation Plus on PS3 and PS Vita, neither of which require PS Plus membership for media streaming or online play. Most online multiplayer on PS4 willrequire a Plus membership, unlike the Vita and PS3. In any case, though Yoshida's answers are short, we appreciate the black and white messaging -- something Sony's rival could be doing a much better job of at the moment.

PlayStation Plus offers do come around every now and then, but Sony has just announced a more permanent addition to the service: the option of a $10 (or 7 euro) monthly membership to supplement the regular 90-day and annual subscriptions. The lack of commitment comes at quite a price, given that the longer contracts bring the the effective monthly cost down to $6 and $4 respectively, but it may still make sense for flighty types. Anyway, once you're in, you'll find a secondary, time-limited offer: an annual Music Unlimited Premium subscription for $42 (42 euros), which is okay, but nowhere near the discount offered in 2012. Those who remain outside of Sony's inner circle can also temporarily get 12 months of Music Unlimited for $60, or half of the usual cost. Lastly, a few more E3 crumbs: the PlayStation Network is now officially called "PSN", which is pretty much what we called it anyway, and PlayStation Plus also gets a new logo (shown after the break, not that it's especially shocking.), reflecting reflect its heightened status in the PS4 era

Sony is delivering mixed blessings here at E3: while it's more than willing to avoid DRM on the PlayStation 4, it just echoed Microsoft's approach to multiplayer services. You'll now need a PlayStation Plus subscription to play online. That may be a small price to pay when both Plus and the PS4 itself are cheaper than Xbox Live and the Xbox One, but it's an unfortunate extra cost for those used to getting their multiplayer gaming for free.